Singaporeans = Contemporary Coolies? My Take.

The article from SingaporeanSkeptic.blogspot.com highlighted a growing issue in Singapore.

Its the same problem I always highlighted to ppl (not sure if i did that in this blog), that the salary had not really increase much for the past 20 years (since I was 6-7 years old). Maybe at that time the starting salary is $1200. Now? Its isnt very must better, just $1600 to $1800. But then, taxi fare starts at $1.20 and now its already ard $3 the moment you get into the cab. And I havent talked abt bus fare (which is worse)

Expenses literally doubled (other than food...) but salary hadnt. Rents for shops and stalls had raised tremendously, until, what used to be profitable business, now become a struggle to continue - resulting in debts...


Singaporeans as a whole, we are really educated to be workers and employees. We are inculcated the "get a degree and get a high pay job" mentality throughout the past 30-40 years and this itself had even starting to evolve into "get a degree so that you can get a decent job".

Singapore had transformed tremendously since independence, but mentality and culture of Singaporeans had not. Even though the Government's foreign worker policy (from highly trained to construction workers) had made it easier for Government to keep the numbers up and business flowing; they had forgotten to consider what individual Singaporeans going to face in such demographic change in our workers' population.

Top jobs going more to foreigners and bottom jobs given to cheap labours from overseas. Singaporeans are left stucked in the middle. The middle class is historically weak and easily affected by policy change or recession. And this is exactly whats happening now.

My Hypothesis
So now that Singaporeans have gone thru life from the bottom: coolies, construction workers, factory workers.... to the middle class which lasted for the past 20 years: office workers, sales people, etc... PERHAPS, its time for Singaporeans to move up the ladder again. Lets start to be the people at the TOP of the food chain, managing "Middle Class Foreigners" and "Blue collar foreigners"

Perplex?

Its probably untenable for Singaporeans to continue to stay with their worker mentality and continue to subject themselves to availability of jobs and competition with increasingly smart and cheap foreign labour. Its only logical that Singaporeans should start to have more entrepreneurial mindsets and start to transform the demographic from a middle class majority, to a "top heavy one"; one that shows a tremendously high percentage of people are business leaders, entreprenuers, whom their business stretch beyond Singapore and into the regions around Singapore.

When I now use the word "Entreprenuers" , i'm not talking abt those Property Agents and Financial Consultants, nor those small businesses that just scrapping to earn those little money within our borders; I am talking about transforming Singaporeans to become creative and daring to scale their business bigger and bring their business overseas.

The Goal: is to make Singapore a business entreprenuership powerhouse.

Imagine a Singapore, which is already a financial centre and a jewel in South East Asia, that have the highest percentage of people running their own business in the world; many of our local companies stretch their arms into other countries in the region, providing high quality products and services into our neighbouring countries and in turn, bring in more cash back into Singapore.

Think this little Red Dot is becoming so satuated that its had to burst outwards with multiple arms reaching out for more "domination" in the business realm.

Think Japan's economic miracles and dominance. Think Silicon Valley (but instead of just IT stuff, but across ALL industries). Think of our Sovereign Weath Funds (SWF), that stretch aross seas to make their mark. Think Middleeast, where their petrol money is coming from all over the world.



This is the only viable way to go, and it will bring Singapore even more years of economic success and anchor Singapore as an ever more important country among the league of nations.

But I have reiterate, that this can only be achieve if our Government willing to pool resources in helping to train, educate and even fund the Singaporeans to become entreprenuers. It requires massive change in the educational system to help switch our mindset from worker to start-own-business mentality. Singaporeans then should make use of our favourable business environment in Singapore to build their business.


From a nation of workers, to a nation of business leaders. Imagine.


(p.s: might seemed a bit lofty and maybe i didnt organise my writings properly as well. But i do suspect PAP does understand this, and sec sch students are having "education" in entreprenuership based on my understanding... cheers anyway)